Customer Reviews

Secrets to Winning at Office Politics: How to Achieve Your Goals and Increase Your Influence at Work

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The title of Chapter One in Secrets to Winning at Office Politics says it all, "Politics is not a dirty word." Office politics has always had a negative connotation but in reality it has just taken a bad rap. Secrets reminds us that office politics is simply the reality of relationships and Dr. Marie McIntyre shows us all how to play the game - honestly, ethically and successfully.

McIntyre uses real life examples from her experience working for a Fortune 500 company and her consulting business to give the reader an excellent view of the real world at the office. Her straightforward yet entertaining style is refreshing and her practical advice and self-assessment questions and surveys make the book a gem.

Secrets lays out in very practical and anecdotal style how one can succeed simply by understanding the unwritten rules of working with and for someone. What is unique about the book is the openness with which the subject is discussed - the real life examples are those we can all relate to as an employee, a boss, a parent, a teacher or a friend. It provokes a kind of self-evaluation that some people never seriously consider.

Give this book to every high school or college graduate you know! If you are the boss, read it, and then encourage your employees to do the same. It's a keeper.

This book has changed my work life for the better. I feel more comfortable at work now because I have more realistic expectations and I feel prepared for difficult 'office politics' situations. The book is interesting and offers real-life situations that I can relate to.

Pretty much everyone has to contend with Office Politics in their job at some point or other. It often doesnt matter who is wrong and who is right in offices, but how a situation is handled. Can you think of a time when you know you should have handled a situation differently, but are unsure what you should have done? Can you think of a time when you lost leverage because of your own actions? Be honest. We all have shot ourselves in the foot. Why stay ignorant? Come into the light!

I love this book. My sister cant wait to read it after I'm done.

I've read a lot of books on leadership and self-improvement however I've never come across a book that was so insightful on the strategic survival and advancement in the workplace. In a word, this book was phenomenal. I wish I had this book when I first started my career in law enforcement 14 years ago. The book is jam-packed with real scenarios, people and behaviors that kept me engaged from start to finish. This book was recommended to me in an Assertive Supervision course and I highlighted and flagged the heck out of my copy!

For the longest time, office politics for me was like an incomprehensible and invisible current running throughout the company. Something slippery that I couldn't grasp--even though it permeated and affected everything. The result was many politically boneheaded moves on my part. I spent a lot of time frustrated when trying to get things done that involved other people. I was continually perplexed at how people showing little skill could gain huge amounts of destructive influence. And more perplexed at how these people could retain their influence even after creating failure after failure within an organization.

Office politics are a fact of life. It doesn't matter if you like them or not. It doesn't matter if you think politics are amoral or wrong. It doesn't matter if you think things should be different. Similar to the way gravity is a fact of life, whether you like it or not or think it should be different. The simple fact is that office politics exist and they affect you.

This book is a tightly written guide to understanding them and using them. As soon as I got into the book, a lot of things that had left me puzzled over the years became clear. And the landscape of politics, past and present, that previously seemed hidden came into plain view. The author is very adept at breaking everything down into easily understood concepts. I also like that the book has exercises to help you assess your political strengths and weaknesses and develop political skill in a variety of areas.

Some people seem to have an innate understanding of office politics. I didn't. Many don't. Those of us that don't have that understanding will find ourselves at the mercy of those that do. This book can put us on the right track to achieving the same level of political savvy.

If you want to learn: how politics work in an organization, how to limit damage done by destructive people with power and how to cultivate power and influence for yourself--read this book.

On the recommendation of a collegue, I purchased this book because I was interested to know whether guidance existed as to how to 'play the game' that is workplace politics. So far, I haven't been disappointed!

As you work your way through this book you find that you are able to relate the examples presented in the text to the experiences your have had throughout your working life and a lot of things suddenly become clear. Understanding what real power is in the work place, how it can be gained and lost and more importantly - how it can be utilised, will change my behaviour around the office in so many ways. It's funny, I now see 'political suicide' by my peers which basically mirror the examples portrayed within this book and I often can't help but chuckle. =)

It has been an enlightening experience reading through this book, and it has been a real pleasure given it is written in a way that is easy to read and keeps you engaged (unlike a few other texts I have read lately which seem to be about authors trying their best to use as many obscure and uncommon words as possible to show how clever they are).

In summary, I firmly believe this book has changed they way I will approach my working life (and in some respects even my personal life) so that I can maximise my chances of achieving my goals and being successful. Give it a go - I'm sure it will do the same for you!

I bought the book for my son who is three years into an advertising sales career with a major newspaper group. He is definitely naive when it comes to office politics, yet is adept at reading people when it comes to selling. After a management shakeup in his department, I realized he needs to be able to read the signs, watch his back and guide his own path in the future. So, I bought him this book and "The 48 Laws Of Power" by Robert Greene. The 48 Laws of Power, Concise Edition

I read "Secrets Of Winning at Office Politics" to see if it was in line with what I wanted. A definite yes. The book provides a practical guide to recognizing what is going on, spotting covert moves, and dealing with them effectively. It will also be a good reference guide after an initial reading. For a father who is trying to wise his kids up to the realities of the work world, this book earns an A+.

TO begin with, this book is a very good investment. If you are emotionally healthy and you think your work life is going okay, this book will remind you how to behave in certain situations at work. Maybe you will even learn a good deal of new things.
If you are new to work or if your coworkers often frustrate you, this book is a good place to start. You can find out how you can be a better person and add value to your organization, to your coworkers, and to yourself. At the end of the book, this book even provides recommendations of couple of books that are very useful.

I was recommended this book by a successful working professional. I found that this book is very straighforward and honest in discussing the personalities, power, and dynamics of work environments. In parallel, I read "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carenegie. While Carnegie's book is useful in dealing with "most people", McIntyre's is better: it aknowledges that there are friends, colleagues, adveraries, and potential enemies. Having aknowledged this, she presents effective and useful strategies thay have been found to work in most situations. McIntyre also corretly states that there wil be situations where the only effective solution is to have an exit strategy and a clear and defined alternative goal.

I cannot stress enough how useful the advice presented in this book is for personal relationships as well. Read the book and subsitute the words "workplace", "colleague", "manager", with "circle of friends", "friend", and "friend of circle of friends who as more power than you do". The same concepts apply. Carnegie's book unfortunatley does not acknowledge that there are toxic people in the professional and personal world, and if taken at face value one may be in danger of being a push over. McIntyre's book, on the other hand, calls a spade a spade and provides solutions that, if incorporated over time, will generally improve your professional and personal life.

One of the best things about the book is that it's not boring! Refreshingly blunt and full of practical information, the book is clearly and concisely written, and easily understood. It's interesting because it uses many great anecdotes and real life examples we can all relate to. I saw myself and some co-workers in many of the examples. The book is useful because it helps you recognize and relate to certain situations and behaviors, and then explains how to fix them by offering the reader alternative viewpoints and constructive behaviors. It's like the wise mentor we all wish we had. Maybe Office Dynamics would be a better term than Office Politics, but either way, it's really about "Personal workplace psychology."

I especially appreciated the book because it made me realize that I'm not the only one who's either done stupid things, worked with difficult people, or worked in a unprofessional environment. I can't imagine a good MBA program that doesn't include this as part of the required reading list. I read it cover-to-cover, and I plan on reading it again in about a year.

I read this book before staring my new job. I feel more prepared than ever for what I need to do to be successful. This book was so thorough and content-rich, I put tabs in it and carry it with me to work . . . just in case I need to reference something or need a "refresher course". I recommend this book for seasoned professionals as well as those just entering the workforce!